Our journey together began in Chicago where we first met in 2015. We married in June 2020, during the peak of Covid, and later on were able to safely celebrate our marriage with friends and family in June 2022. Eager to start a family, we were excited to become pregnant in November 2022. During the third trimester, abnormalities were detected in what was anticipated to be a routine ultrasound. In June 2023, we tragically lost our firstborn at the gestational age of 33 weeks. Following medical evaluation, including genetic testing, it was discovered that we each carry a genetic abnormality on the same chromosome, an extremely rare occurrence. Together, this statistically presents for us as only a 25% chance of having a baby not possessing either abnormality. We have therefore chosen to pursue In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) for the purpose of preimplantation testing, which can potentially eliminate developmental abnormalities in our children and for future generations. To overcome these odds, it may require multiple rounds of IVF to obtain a healthy embryo.

While we lost our firstborn far too soon, there is comfort in knowing our baby was loved and there was nothing more that could have been done. We acknowledge the pain of our loss everyday, but also look ahead and hope to one day start a family. Our experience has given us an immense appreciation for the potential of genomics and assisted reproductive technology to give us the family we are longing to have.

We are so very grateful and honored to be recipients of the JUF Family Building Financial Grant and have chosen to share our story in the hope that it provides support for others.

Lindsay and Jimmy are recipients of the Path to Parenthood Grant from the Jewish United Fund – Chicago.